Help me unpick our routine?

6 replies

Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp · 08/03/2021 13:38

Will caveat by saying that I know DD is still quite young for a proper 'routine', and we're not hell bent on things being perfectly timed etc.

I'm currently sat here scrutinising our daily routine (or pattern may be the most appropriate term), as I'm not convinced that it's working, but I don't know what to change to improve all of our sleep at night. DD (4mo) isn't a good sleeper at night, and we really just want to get on top of it. She's recently started completely refusing her morning/breakfast bottle - and obviously if she's going to drop a feed we'd much rather it be the middle of the night one! But she guzzles that and still needs settling through the night.

So please, wise mums of MN, help me unpick and optimise this.

A typical day would go something like this...

Wake 6.30am
Bottle 6.40am - which she refuses
Play
Nap 8.30am (falls asleep in car on the school run, transferred to cot when we get home)
Wake 10.30-11am, bottle upon waking
Play
Nap 1pm
Wake 2.30pm - I have to wake her here for school run
Bottle 3.15 (once we're home)
Play
Short nap 4.30pm
Wake 5pm
Play
6.30pm upstairs for bath
6.50pm bottle
7.20pm bed
10.30 dream feed
Night feed any time between 2am and 3am

She sleeps in a crib in our room at night, and in her cot in her room for her naps. She can drift off to sleep herself in the day and link sleep cycles OK, but needs frequent settling at night.

Obviously, the school run times are a non negotiable part of the day. School is a short drive away, not possible to walk there so cannot incorporate a walk/nap in buggy with this.

We had been changing her nappy for the night feeds, but obviously it wakes her more so we are trying not to. We have a white noise machine which we did have running continuously, but now have on a timer as we found that some nights she was sleeping more without it. She does have a dummy.

Can anyone spot anything they would change or tweak to try and improve the quality of the sleep at night?

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CimCardashian · 08/03/2021 13:43

Hopefully she’ll drop her 3am feed at some point,I guess she’s still full from that which is why she isn’t interested in her morning bottle.
Can you get her back to sleep without a feed at 3am? If she’s had a dream feed she might not need it?
I think mine had about 3 naps a day at that age so I’m not sure what else you could change,the latest nap will be the first to go....

Yaty · 08/03/2021 13:47

So shes only waking up once at 3am? I think that's pretty great for a 4 month old! I suppose you could feed her less at 3am if you want her to feed first thing. Have you tried the next sized nappy overnight, I found that helps with stopping DD waking before 5am because of a full nappy.

Original poster

Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp · 08/03/2021 13:52

Thanks @CimCardashian appreciate the reply. I suppose its reassuring to know we aren't totally ballsing things up with things as they stand! 😂

Yes would be great if we could settle her without a feed but it's really tricky to at the moment. We might try and push her dream feed back a bit and hopefully start to push the night feed back towards the morning 🤷‍♀️

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Original poster

Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp · 08/03/2021 13:56

@Yaty she's only having that feed at the moment but cries out a lot and is very hard to settle between them. But she'll sleep much more soundly in the daytime, so we know she can do it, she just won't at night when we need it the most.

Hadn't thought of reducing her nighttime feed down, that could be worth a go. Will also try the larger nappies at night too 👍 thank you

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CimCardashian · 09/03/2021 12:34

Mine are 12 and 10 now so it’s going back a bit now!
I remember being very envious of friends whose babies slept all night. Although I know now that they were in the minority.
Your baby is still only 4 months so things will change quite a bit over the next few months.
I felt like I didn’t have much in the way of instinct so read a million books that all said different things! I did have a routine though which helps for the days at least,sounds like you have that sorted.

CimCardashian · 09/03/2021 12:34

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